Staten Island Surgical Errors Lawyer

When Surgery Goes Wrong

Every medical procedure includes some risk. But when you decide to undergo surgery, your health care providers take the time to discuss the risks with you. Physicians, nurses, and others involved with the procedure will make sure that a patient is aware of the risks and the potential complications before any action is taken. An individual operation may not achieve the hoped-for result, but everyone understands this from the start.

Regrettably, there are times when something will go awry during a surgical procedure which is not part of the anticipated risk. Negligence on the part of the surgeon or another member of the surgical team can result in an error that results in an injury or the death of the patient. If you or a loved one has suffered a preventable breach of correct surgical procedures, leading to injury or death, a Staten Island firm that understands surgical errors can help.

There are accidents during surgery which are preventable and should never happen, such as leaving objects inside a patient, operating on the wrong patient, or operating on the wrong part of the body. Specialists in fact refer to these as “never events” and more care has been taken in recent years to avoid them. However, a study of malpractice cases published in Surgery in 2012 found that on average 39 “never events” happened every week in the US – more than 4,000 of them every year.

Experienced surgical teams know never events can be avoided by combining careful preparation with strict attention to procedure during an operation. All surgery includes risk, but patients should not suffer because health care providers showed negligence by deviating from the expected standard of care or by failing to act. If a patient can show that they suffered injury and damages because a responsible health care professional committed a breach of duty the chance of winning a favorable judgment increases.

Because each surgery is different and the circumstances surrounding every surgical error case are unique, no case is typical. Common reasons for surgical error include:

– Performing surgery on the wrong part of the body

– Performing unnecessary surgery

– Leaving tools, sponges, or towels inside a patient

– Negligent use of surgical tools

– Negligent sanitary conditions

– Misreading or ignoring test results

– Failure to recognize symptoms or misdiagnosis

– Unnecessarily delayed surgery

– Reckless decisions under pressure

– Failure to advise a patient of all risks

– Failing to follow up with a patient after surgery or discharging a patient prematurely

Surgical Error Attorneys In Staten Island

After a serious surgical error, your family might never be the same. Turn to a professional when you need help restoring life to the way it was before. Talk to Kuharski, Levitz, & Giovinazzo for advice on your next step.